Looking for a Place to Shine
by Starienite11
Summary: Adalyn Sharp was adopted when she was nine months old. She's never met her birth parents and has spent her whole life believing she's a normal, if accident prone, muggle. When Addie receives a letter inviting her to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry her whole life is flipped upside down. Rated G for now, possibly higher later.
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

Adalyn Sharp was adopted when she was nine months old. She's never met her birth parents and has spent her whole life believing she's a normal, if accident prone, muggle. When Addie receives a letter inviting her to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry her whole life is flipped upside down.

Legal Stuffs: I do not own any of this. It all belongs to the wonderfully talented J.K. Rowling. I am not profiting from this. And again for clarity, I do not OWN anything HP related.

Authors Note:

This is my first HP fanfic. It will sort of span all the books. I'm trying to keep it as cannon as possible up through Deathly Hallows and then it will probably be a little AU, because I like to pretend that the epilogue didn't happen.

Chapter 1:

_Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England_

_June 30,1992_

Mr. and Mrs. Sharp, of number 6425, Primack Road, had never considered whether they were perfectly normal or happily unusual. They did not have the time to entertain such thoughts. They were the sort that are always surrounded, but that friends and neighbors seem to know very little about.

Mr. Sharp was one of three chemists in the moderately sized town of Bury St Edmunds. He was a small stocky man with deep laugh lines around his eyes and thick-ish wavy salt and pepper hair. Mrs. Sharp worked as a teacher at a nearby primary school. She was a slim angular woman who smiled frequently and always wore her cocoa colored hair in a tight chignon on the back of her head. They had two young daughters, Addie and Mia, whom they both adored. Their biggest family secret, which was really no secret at all, was that they had adopted their eldest daughter, Addie, before she'd turned a year old.

The Tuesday morning our story starts began like any other morning. It was a clear bright summer morning with nothing to distinguish it from the morning before. Mr. Sharp rose promptly at seven and set about preparing for the day. He kissed his wife awake, put the kettle on for tea, and read the morning paper. Mrs. Sharp joined him promptly a half an hour later; she fixed his tea, made his toast, and sat with him in the early morning silence. She discussed with him her plans to take their daughters to the park and the market and a book shop in town. They agreed that it would be a lovely day for them to join him on his lunch break. At eight, Mr. Sharp gathered his lab coat, kissed his wife on the top of her head, and hurried out the door for work. Mrs. Sharp set about rousing her daughters; eight-year-old Mia blinked the sleep away quickly and clattered downstairs to breakfast and eleven-year-old Addie clung to her pillows and begged for five more minutes before finally crawling out of bed and trudging heavily to the kitchen.

Mr. Sharp had a perfectly normal morning. He opened the shop, helped elderly Mrs. Daugherty select the right cream for her arthritis and filled the prescription for Mrs. Rabbaniwicz's colicky newborn son. He signed for a delivery of antibiotics and greeted the assistant chemist, Sarah, with a jovial smile. He had no reason to believe today would be any different than yesterday.

Mrs. Sharp shepherded her daughters to the market and took them to the park. As it was a favorite place of both her daughters, she saved the book shop for just before lunch. The book shop, a brightly lit cramped little store, was crowded with mothers trying to entertain their children and avoid the summer heat. The bell over the door chimed as they entered and the girls both raced through the store to the reading corner in the back. She could hear them giggling as she greeted a few of the other mothers. She chatted politely about the weather and the upcoming street festival.

A shriek of pain was the first indication that anything would go wrong that day. Mrs. Sharp and the other mothers raced towards the back of the store. Mia was lying on the floor crying with a pile of books scattered around her, while Addie crouched next to her sister speaking to her soothingly. Mrs. Sharp pushed through the other mothers and knelt next to her daughters.

"What happened?" she questioned softly. Hiccoughing, Mia sat up and launcher her arms around her mother's middle. Mrs. Sharp ran her hand tenderly over her youngest daughter's chestnut curls and repeated her question. Addie narrowed her eyes as she glared across the room.

"He" she pointed emphatically as a blonde haired boy on the other side of the room, "Pushed Mia," she continued to glare at the boy who appeared to be a few years older and wore a smug smile.

"William Gaines!" a small blonde woman stepped forward and grabbed the boy by the shoulder, "Apologize to that girl," she commanded grabbing the boy sharply by the shoulder.

"I'm sorry or whatever," he rolled his eyes at them.

"That's NOT AN APOLOGY," Addie shouted standing and stepping towards the boy, "You made my sister cry." Mrs. Sharp grabbed Addie by her elbow, but Addie shook her off and took another step towards the older boy. Her hands were on her hips. "He should still have to apologize," she seethed. She continued to stare at the blonde young man. It happened so quickly that no one else in the store could ever really stay what happened. One moment the two children were standing across the room from one another in a stare-off and the next every book in the shop was off its shelf and on the floor. Everyone looked around bewildered and Mrs. Sharp grabbed both her daughters and ushered them quickly out into the midday sun.

She hurried them down the block and into Mr. Sharp's pharmacy, "Henry!" she called to her husband. She shooed the girls into a waiting area in the corner of the pharmacy. The girls sat quietly and watched their mother as she called for their father again. Mr. Sharp came out of the stock room smiling, but his face fell when he saw the panicked look on his wife's face.

"What's wrong?" Henry Sharp asked his frazzled wife.

"It happened again, Henry," she hissed worriedly at him, "It's getting worse. She nearly made the whole book shop explode this time." Henry wrapped his arms around his wife and rest his head on her shoulder.

"Maybe we should consider it…" he started quietly.

"No!" she answered back emphatically as she glanced over at their daughters. "I can't…I can't just send her away."

"Gen…." he pleaded. "Maybe they'll teach her to control it….whatever it is…."

"No!" they both turned when Addie shouted from across the room. "You c-c-can't…you can't give me away."

"Oh, baby," Henry sighed as he strode over to his daughter and scooped her up, "We're not giving you away," he told her and kissed the top of her head. "You are ours and there is nothing you can do to change it."

Mrs. Sharp made her way over to them and lifted Mia up to join the family hug, "We're a family and you're not going anywhere." She sent a pointed look at her husband.

They ate a quiet lunch in the park and the two girls went to play on a nearby playground. Mr. and Mrs. Sharp sat on a bench and watched their daughters laughing, the difficult morning a mere memory.

"We have to do something, Genevieve," he told his wife, "You said yourself that it's getting worse…more intense, more frequent."

"I'm not sending her away!"

"It's just to school, Gen, she'll be back on holidays and in the summers."

"Henry…"

"She would've probably gone to a boarding school this year or next anyway," he reasoned, "This is just not a school we'd have picked on our own."

"Henry… I just… How can you be so calm about send our daughter to an entirely different country," she finally burst.

"The little man told us that her parents were probably…like her…"

"He said her mother was a witch,"

"Yes, he did. I think we should let her go…learn about where she comes from," he sighed heavily, "She'll still come back to us…"

"Fine…okay," she nodded her head and blinked back tears. "How do we tell her?"

_The Leaky Cauldron, London, England_

_July 15, 1992_

Addie Sharp glanced warily at the abandon shop front bearing the signage of The Leaky Cauldron; it looked shabby at best and possibly long abandoned at worst. She'd travelled to London with her parents and younger sister, Mia. According to her parent's they were here to do some school shopping, though since they'd never come up to London before she wasn't sure she believed them. Addie took the hand her father extended to her and they hurried across bustling Charing Cross Road. Her father shouldered open the door and waited for her mother and sister to enter before practically dragging her inside.

Addie blinked rapidly to adjust to the dimness of pub. She realized quickly she was in the oddest restaurant she'd ever seen. There was a burly man with very red round cheeks at the bar speaking loudly with the bar keep and several men all with very long beards clustered around a small table, they appeared to be playing chess and Addie thought she saw one of the chess pieces moved on its own.

Her father guided them to a table. Her mum wiped frantically at the sticky table top with a napkin and looked around anxiously. When they'd been sitting only a few moments a thin, dark-haired woman with a thin vulture-ish quality approached the table.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sharp?" she clipped.

"Yes," her father nodded enthusiastically and her mother nodded just slightly.

"My name is Madam Irma Pince," she explained with a tight smile, "The librarian at Hogwarts School."

Addie looked between her parents as the bird-like woman sat down at their table. Similarly to her mum the woman cleaned the table, but rather than swiping uselessly at the table with a napkin, the woman flicked a long taper of wood at the table and muttered something under her breath; with a snap and a slight draining sound the table was clean.

"Wooow…"Mia breathed next to her as Addie's eyes snapped to the woman's face.

"That was…"Addie stammered.

"Magic," the woman stated tightly, "Something you will become intimately familiar with at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The woman handed her an envelope. It was made of thick yellowish parchment, the expensive kind her cousin Marjorie had printed her wedding invitations on last year, and the address was written in bright emerald ink. Addie traced the address with her fingertip:

_Miss A. McKinnon_

_Fourth Table on the Left_

_The Leaky Cauldron, London_

Addie wrinkled her nose and looked up at the woman, "I think you have the wrong person," she said pushing the envelope back towards Madam Pince. "My last name isn't McKinnon…"

"We're pretty sure it was your birth mother's family name," her mom answered quietly.

"The school didn't realize…"Madam Pince stated delicately, "We'll have it corrected by the time you come for classes."

"My birth mother attended this school," she flipped the envelope over and noticed a purple wax seal with a large 'H' and four animals on it. She peered more closely at the seal and saw the animals were a lion, a badger, a raven, and a snake.

"Indeed," the woman nodded.

Addie carefully lifted the wax seal and pulled out two sheets of parchment written in the same emerald ink. The first read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Ms. McKinnon,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

"Witchcraft and wizardry?" Addie looked up at her parents and then a Madam Pince.

"Yes, dear," Madam Pince smiled tightly again, "You are a witch."

Addie looked at her parents again; her father nodded in encouragement, but her mum looked to be near tears. She glanced over at Mia who looked stunned. "I guess it explains all the…" Addie paused and raised her hands and shook them slightly,

"Weird stuff…" Mia interjected with a giggle. "Am I a witch to Mum?" she asked laughing.

"Probably not," Madam Pince answered. Mia laughed again and stood to look over Addie's shoulder.

Addie unfolded the second parchment:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

UNIFORM

_First-year students will require:_

_1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags._

COURSE BOOKS

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_ by Miranda Goshawk_

A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot_

Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling_

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch_

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore_

Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger_

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander_

Break with a Banshee _by Gilderoy Lockhart_

Gadding with Ghouls _by Gilderoy Lockhart_

Holidays with Hags _by Gilderoy Lockhart_

Travels with Trolls _by Gilderoy Lockhart_

Voyages with Vampires _by Gilderoy Lockhart_

Wanderings with Werewolves _by Gilderoy Lockhart_

Year with the Yeti _by Gilderoy Lockhart_

OTHER EQUIPMENT

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_

_Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions_

Addie looked up after reading the list and blinked before sitting back in her chair stunned. Mia snatched up the paper and read it, "It's a school supply list, but I've never heard of some of this stuff. Where's she supposed to get a cauldron?"

"Diagon Alley is where the majority of Hogwarts students get their supplies," Madam Pince answered, "The entrance is just behind The Leaky Cauldron."

Addie looked at her parents again and at Mia and at Madam Pince. "I…"

"Addie," her mum finally said, "I love you," Addie nodded in acknowledgement, "And I know this seems really scary. It was scary for your Dad and me too…when they first told us."

"You _knew_!?" she question.

"Someone from the school came to speak with us just before your birthday," her father said calmly, "We didn't take it seriously at the time…but after the last incident in the bookstore…"

Addie nodded quietly and looked back at her mum, "I know it's scary, baby," her mum said and rested a hand on her back, "But it's just school…which you're like," her mum smiled when Addie nodded in agreement, "And the other students will all have special gifts like yours…"

"Mum, you're making her sound like an x-man," Mia joked and Addie laughed. Madam Pince just looked confused.

"Okay," Addie nodded, "I mean its magic school, right?"

Madam Pince led them out of The Leaky Cauldron and onto a damp enclosed back patio. She raised the long taper, which she had explained was her wand, and tapped several bricks in what appeared to be a counter-clockwise pattern. Once completed the brick wall seemed to fold in on itself, the bricks sliding and folding until the wall opened to reveal a bustling street that seemed to wind and weave its way through the shops. The street was cobbled and narrow with shops and restaurants and oddities piled in a mishmashed sort of way down both sides.

Addie felt Mia grab the upper part of her arm and try to pull herself up higher. Addie knew the feeling, she wished that she could take in all the people and the stores and well…everything. They stepped through the opening in the brick wall and Addie saw the large white columned building at the farthest end of the street. "What's that?" she asked stunned.

"Gringotts Wizarding Bank," Madam Pince answered, "We'll have to go there first," she told Addie's parents before launching into a detailed explanation of wizarding currency and it's exchange rate to muggle pounds.

"Stay right here," her mother told Addie and Mia when reached Gringotts and prepared to enter the bank. "We will be back in ten minutes."

Both girls nodded and moved to the side of the wide marble staircase to wait. Addie sat and pulled Mia down next to her. She gripped her little sister's hand tightly and looked back down the street. They'd passed all kinds of shops; shops that sold telescopes and star charts and globes of the moon, shops that sold books and quills and ink in every color known to man, a whole shop dedicated to something called quidditch that had Madam Pince rolling her eyes, there'd been an ice cream shop with towering sundaes, and an apothecary with glistening jars of strange ingredients like bat's eyes and lizard snouts and freshly scrubbed cauldrons. Addie was overwhelmed by the sheer vastness.

"This is so neat, Ad" Mia smiled and rest her head on Addie's shoulder.

"It's pretty scary too…I don't know anything about this stuff…"

"So you'll learn…you've got months before the start of term. You'll have read every book twice by then…"

"There are a lot of them…I'll probably only have time for once each."

"I was joking," Mia giggled, "Plus," she said more seriously, "She…Madam Pince…she said there are other kids from families like ours…non-magic families…so you won't be alone." Addie just nodded silently and rest her head on top of her sisters.

After the bank Madam Pince led them directly to Ollivander's Wand Shop. The shop was dark and lit by only a few sconces that were turned low. Her parents hung awkwardly near the door when Madam Pince dragged her before the man behind the counter. He was clearly about a hundred years old, in Addie's opinion, and had a mass of white hair that stood off his head at odd angles. She felt Mia grab her hand and she smiled at the man.

"Adalyn," Madam Pince intoned, "Meet Mr. Ollivander, he will fit you for your wand."

"Who've we here," Mr. Ollivander asked, his voice hoarse like when her grandfather put too much tobacco in his pipe.

"Addie Sharp, sir," Addie answered quickly. Mr. Ollivander removed a tape measure from around his neck and tapped it with his wand. It began zipping around her taking measurements in odd places like from her nose to her hairline and her elbow to her knee.

"A muggleborn, then," he asked Madam Pince and indicated her parents.

"No," was all the hawkwish woman said.

Finally the measuring tape dropped into his hand and Mr. Ollivander moved behind the counter, "Which is your wand hand, dearie?" he asked. Addie looked at Madam Pince helplessly.

"Which hand do you write with?"

"Oh, my right," she answered.

"Very well," Ollivander nodded and turned to the boxes on the wall behind him. Addie noticed for the first time that the wall behind him had the narrow boxes jammed into it at all angles from floor to ceiling; some of the boxes were covered in a thick layer of dust while others were clearly new. Mr. Ollivander selected approximately six boxes and placed them on the counter between them.

"How do I choose?" she asked eyes wide.

"Ah, the wand choose the witch, my dear," Mr. Ollivander said seriously. "This one first," he handed her a long intricately carved wand, "Ebony, dragon heartstring, twelve inches, rather firm," he handed the wand to her and she looked up at him, "Give it a swish he encouraged." Addie swished the wand and nothing happened. She raised her hand and brought it down in a sharp striking motion and still nothing. She shrugged and handed the wand back to Ollivander.

"Hmmm…" he opened another box and handed her the wand, "Hazel, unicorn hair, ten and half inches, nice and swishy," he told her and handed her the wand. As soon as it was in her hand she knew it would be different. The wand felt warm in her and almost as if some part of it and reached within and connected with something hidden inside of her. She swished the wand gently through the air and the scones on the walls brightened before gold sparks filled the room. "Another satisfied customer," Mr. Ollivander smiled. Addie grinned back at him and looked at Mia who laughed and hugged her. Her parents paid Mr. Ollivander with a stack of gold coins and the exited back into the waning afternoon sun.

Madam Pince led them through Diagon Alley and they finished the rest of their shopping in short order. When she left them back at The Leaky Cauldron they were laden down with bags and boxes full of books and robes and quills and sweaters and rolls of parchment. Addie had nearly talked her parents into a pet owl, but her mum had finally put her foot down and said no. They'd also bought one large trunk for Addie to pack all her things in, but it was being shipped to their home.

Before parting ways, Madam Pince had imparted a train ticket and another letter of instruction to her parents. "I'll see you in September, Adalyn," the austere woman stated with what Addie assumed was a smile.

"Yes, Ma'am," Addie said, "And thank you so much for everything."

Madam Pince disappeared with a loud pop. Addie looked at Mia who looked stunned and shrugged.

_King's Cross Station, London, England_

_September 1, 1992_

Addie awoke at six o'clock on train day as Mia had taken to calling it. She felt to excited and nervous to try and sleep any longer. She dressed carefully, well for her anyway, in a pair of jeans and a soft gray jumper. She slipped into the bathroom and peered at her reflection. She was an exceedingly plain looking girl of medium size and height for her age. Her hair was medium length, stick straight, and the color of wet sand. The only not medium thing about her were her eyes, which were the deep sapphire blue of the night sky. Rolling her eyes she pulled her hair into a puffy bun on top of her head and ent back to her room.

Mia was sitting on the end of Addie's bed rubbing sleep out of her eyes, "You're leaving today," her little sister said quietly.

"Yeah," Addie stated in agreement, "I'll be home at Christmas though." She'd carefully packed the school books and supplies in the bottom of the trunk the night before; she folded her last jumper and laid it inside before dumping the entire contents of her sock drawer on top. She stashed one set of the wizard robes in the school bag she'd begged her parents to buy her, using the argument that she didn't imagine witches carried knapsacks in school. "I'll be able to change on the train right?" she asked Mia, "I mean I can't imagine walking through King's Cross in wizard robes." Mia just shrugged. Addie also tossed in Hogwarts: A History, she was on her third reading and found the book fascinating. "I guess that's it, " she said looking helplessly at her sister. Mia jumped off the end of the bed and linked her arm through Addie's. Together the ambled into the kitchen for breakfast.

Her mother had gone all out for Addie's last breakfast at home. She'd made all Addie's favorites hotcakes, bacon, eggs, roasty potatoes, and large mugs of tea. They ate and talked as if it wasn't the last breakfast they'd have together until Christmas. At promptly seven am her father gathered her trunk and packed it in the car. They all piled in the car and her father handed her the letter Madam Pince had given them. "Dad," she said incredulously, "It says Platform 9 ¾ … that can't be right."

"She explained it to your mother and I," her Dad told her. Mia fell asleep as soon as they were on the motorway, but Addie was to anxious and stared out the window the whole time. They arrived King's Cross at ten AM and her father went to get a trolley while Addie, Mia, and their mum piled out of the car.

"I remember the day you came home with us," her mum said with tears in her eyes, "And you're so grown up now."

"Don't cry, Mum," Addie said throwing her arms around her mum's waist and burying her head. They stayed that way and Addie felt Mia latch onto the hug as well. Her father returned with the trolley and loaded the trunk and her school bag on. Mia scrambled to the top and perched on one end. Addie felt sure her mother would scold her, but she just smiled and linked her fingers with Addie's. Addie leaned against her mum as they walked.

They made their way through the station to the area between platforms 9 and 10, "In Diagon alley, Madam Pince told your mum and I to just walk through the wall there," he gestured to a narrow brick column. "Addie, you and your mum go first, Mia and I will follow." Addie's felt her mum tighten her grip, "She said take it at a slight run," her father supplied helpfully. Addie looked up at her mum, clsed her eyes and they jogged towards the wall.

Addie was sure they would hit the wall in ten seconds, but when they didn't she opened her eyes and found herself standing on a bustling platform in front of a bright cherry red locomotive. She heard more than saw her dad and sister come through the barrier behind her. Her father wandered away with Mia to find a spot for her trunk on the train. Her mum looked at her and straightened her jumper and her hair.

"My sweet girl," her mum breathed and pulled her in for a crushing hug.

"I can't breathe, Mum."

"Right sorry," her mother let her go but kept an arm around her shoulders. Her father came back shortly with Mia riding on his shoulders.

"This place is so cool," Mia exclaimed as a family with bright red hair passed them followed by a girl with very bushy hair.

"Yeah…" Addie's voice trailed off as she watched all the other students greeting each other, "Mum," she panicked, "What if no one likes me? Or I'm not really magic? Or I'm bad at magic? Or…"

"You'll be fine, honey," her dad answered and scooped her up in a crushing hug, "And if you're totally rubbish you can come home at Chrismas," he teased.

"Henry!" her mum scolded, which made Addie laugh.

"You will do wonderfully and you'll make friends and you're not even going to want to come home," her mum kissed the top of her head. "Now on the train with you or you'll miss the whole thing."

Addie nodded and headed towards the train. Her Dad handed her the school bag with her robes and a small blue velvet pouch with a handful of coins. He'd explained wizard money to her three times until she understood how it worked. She hugged her parents and Mia again one more time and watched as they back away to watch the train leave the station.

Turning onto the train she crossed her fingers and headed down the corridor to find a compartment.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Hogwarts Express, London, England_

_September 1, 1992_

Addie looked down the long corridor and felt a wave of apprehension, or maybe it was excitement, run through her. The corridor was teaming with students wearing a variety of very eccentric street clothes and billowing, black robes. Small fireworks flitted near the ceiling before exploding and raining down sparks in every color. Addie took a deep breath as what she assumed was a paper airplane whizzed from the compartment on her left to the one on her right. She popped her head into one just in time to see a deck of cards explode and cover everyone inside in ash and soot. Jumping back she made her way further down the corridor. Most of the compartments were packed to the ceiling, but finally near the back on the left hand side there was a compartment with only one other girl inside.

"Excuse me," she knocked softly, "Is anyone sitting there?" she asked gesturing to the bench, "This place is pretty packed." The other girl, who Addie noticed, seemed rather slight and had ebony colored very curly hair, shook her head. Addie shoved her school bag onto the rack above their heads and turned towards the window. She stuck her head out the window and looked for her family and finally spotted them on the back of the platform. Mia noticed her first and gestured to their parents who waved back enthusiastically. She glanced at the wristwatch her father had given her for her birthday back in February and noticed there were still ten minutes until the train left.

""You're a muggleborn, then" the girl finally spoke up her voice cool and distant.

"I don't think so," Addie shook her head in response. That caused the other girl to raise an eyebrow before responding.

"Your parents look a little…out of place."

Addie glanced back out at her family; they didn't look that unusual to her. Mum was dressed in a billowing skirt and a sweater she usually wore for the first day of school, Dad had on his favorite tie, and Mia was dressed similarly to Addie herself in jeans and a dark gray jumper. Addie looked back at the raven-haired girl and shrugged as if to say she didn't get it.

"They look like muggles," the girl rolled her eyes, "Like _really _aggressively normally muggle."

"Well…I mean…they're not…like me?" she answered back, "What's your name?" Addie asked finally.

"Lucy," the girl smiled, "Lucy Abernathy."

"I'm Ad-…

"WELL BUGGER OFF ARSEHOLE!" The shout came as Addie was mid-sentence. Both girls turned to look at the door of the compartment. A rather tall gangly looking boy with toffee colored eyes and freckles peeking out from beneath his equally warm brown skin. He stepped into the compartment and looked between the two girls sheepishly. "Sorry," he muttered plopping himself down next to Lucy, "My brother," he gestured vaguely in the direction of the back of the train. Addie looked at Lucy and then at the boy.

"I'm Addie," she finally stated mostly to Lucy.

"Bash," the boy said dropping his head on the wall of the compartment behind him.

"Huh?" Lucy said

"Bash," he said again, "That's my name."

"Did your parents expect you to be particularly rambunctious?" Lucy asked him, which caused him to pick his head up and look at her. "You know…crash, bang, all those other sound words."

"Onomatopoeia," Addie supplied helpfully, which cause both Lucy and Bash to look at her. "It's a word that sounds like what it means…"

"Well you'll definitely be a Ravenclaw," Lucy laughed brightly before turning back to Bash, "But seriously though…when did you start going by Bash?"

"It's short for Sebastian," he asserted to Addie.

"Leave him alone, Lucy," Addie replied. Lucy sighed heavily and flopped back against the bench. She looked at Addie like she'd just sucked all the fun out of the room. "How do you know I'll be a Ravenclaw?" Addie asked, "I tried to find out how they sort you, but it wasn't in any of the books."

"You're a muggleborn, then?" Bash stated with interest and a sly look at Lucy, "My brother says you have to fight a troll as part of the sorting."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lucy laughed again, "My mum spent all summer teaching my how to put out dragon's fire." Addie felt her eyes grow wider the more Lucy and Bash swapped rumors they'd heard about how first year students were sorted into one of the four houses. Bash finally looked over at her and grinned a ridiculously wide lopsided grin.

"We're just joking," he told her, "It's just a hat."

"A hat?"

"Yeah, you put it on, it reads your mind, and decides where you should be sorted."

"Oh," Addie did not feel reassured thinking about a magic hat that could read her mind. "What house do you think you'll be in?"

"My whole family's been in Slytherin for years," Bash said with a shrug, "That's where Blaise was sorted last year and probably where I'll go this year."

"I heard Harry Potter's in Gryffindor," Lucy smiled, "He looks pretty cute in his picture in the Prophet."

"You want to be a Gryffindor because of a boy?" Addie giggled.

"I'll probably be a Hufflepuff," Lucy sighed heavily.

"Sweet but silly," Bash supplied and Lucy smacked his arm.

Addie watched the two of them laughing and couldn't help but smile. She'd always done well at school, but didn't have a lot of friends because of the weird accidents that always followed her around. Sitting with Lucy and Bash was the most normal she'd felt in ever; like she didn't have to worry if she blew the roof off the book shop or caused Billy Gaines to get stuck to the swings at school. While they talked and joked, the Hogwarts Express had carried them away from London. Addie glanced at the window at the very green hills and small picturesque villages. They lapsed into silence, Addie staring out the window while Lucy scribbled in a notebook and Bash read a battered copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.

Just around twelve there as a loud clacking sound out in the corridor and the door of their compartment slid open, a plumpy woman with deep dimples smiled at them, "Anything off the trolley dears?" she asked. Addie looked wide-eyed at the selection of candy and sweets on the cart. She'd never heard of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans or Chocolate Frogs or Sugar Quills.

"You have to stop with the wide-eyed wonder," Lucy said as she reached around Addie towards the cart. She handed Addie a box of the Every-Flavour Beans, a Chocolate Frog, and a box of sherbet lemons. Bash rolled his eyes at both of them and picked up as many Chocolate Frogs as he could carry. They paid the woman, Bash helping Addie count out the right coins, and sank back into their seats.

"Are those really frogs?" she hesitated and gestured to the rather large pile of pentagonal boxes at Bash's side.

"No," he shook his head, "I don't really even eat the chocolate," he shrugged, "But I collect the cards. I've like twenty of Dumbledore, but I really need Ptolemy and Nicholas Flamel." Addie pulled the box open and watched as the little frog shaped chocolate sprang to life and jumped away from her. Bash reached over and snatched it out of the air quicker than lightning. He handed it back to her with a grin, "It won't go anywhere now, they've really only got one good jump." Addie smiled and bit into the chocolate. "Who'd you get?"

"Bertie Bott," she answered which caused all of them to collapse into a fit of laughter. Bash and Lucy explained that the beans really were _every flavor_ and they devised a game where they picked two beans that look similar and each player ate one. Addie got coconut, blueberry, candy floss, grass, and pepper. Lucy refused to play anymore after she got an earwax bean in the first round and Bash managed to select green apple, buttered popcorn, soap, and cinnamon.

Sacked out on sugar they slumped back against their seats without speaking. Addie was just beginning to doze off when their compartment door slid open again. An a very tall, skinny boy with vividly red hair stood in the doorway. He was wearing Hogwarts robes that looked slightly too short, like he'd grown several inches very quickly, and a shiny red prefect's badge, "Zambini," he addressed Bash harshly before looking at the two girls, "You lot better get dressed. We'll be arriving shortly," he scolded before shutting the door with a perfunctory swish,

"Zambini…" Lucy looked over at Bash with a raised eyebrow.

Bash just nodded and stood to exit the compartment. He smiled he lopsided smile at them, "Yup," he quipped, "You couldn't tell from by dashing good looks?" He didn't give either of them a chance to answer before darting out of the compartment, presumably to change.

"His family is really old," Lucy told her by way of explanation, "And really rich. His great-great-grandfather invented Skele-gro or something." Addie did not ask what Skele-gro was.

They changed quickly into their school robes and had just finished when the train screeched and then jolted to a stop. They followed the rest of the students out onto the platform.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" they heard a booming voice calling them as they stepped off the train.

_Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere, Scotland_

_September 1, 1992_

The ride from Hogsmeade station to Hogwarts had been nothing short of amazing. They'd been lead down a dark narrow path and Addie finally had her first view of Hogwarts. The castle looked both ominous and amazing. It sat high on a hill the seemingly millions of glittering lights reflecting on a great black lake. Hagrid, the man with the great booming voice, had loaded them all into tiny boats that ferried them to the castle and Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress.

Professor McGonagall was a tall, harsh looking woman, with her graying hair pulled back in a severe looking bun. She seemed very watchful and Addie imagined there was probably not much about the school or magic itself this woman did not know. Professor McGonagall met them at the doors of the Entrance Hall, which would probably have fit her whole house inside. She led them across the flagged stone floor and passed giant suits of armor.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said finally. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." She explained to them that the houses were very important at Hogwarts and than your house is your family. "You will have classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend your free time in your house common room."

"The four houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each house has its own history and has produced many great witches and wizards. At Hogwarts your triumphs will earn your house points, while any infractions will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. An honor my Gryffindors received last year and will endeavor to defend." She smiled at them that the ceremony would begin in a few minutes.

Addie looked anxiously at Lucy, who through an arm over her shoulder, "It will be fine. Like Bash said on the train…it's just a mind-reading hat." Addie noticed that despite the brave comment, Lucy looked equally as anxious as she felt. Addie closed her eyes and was focusing on not passing out or throwing up when she felt Lucy elbow her in the ribs. Her eyes flew open in time to see a hoard of pearly-white transparent ghosts float from one side of the Entrance Hall to the other.

"Ghosts?!" she looked stunned.

Just then Professor McGonagall returned. She instructed them to form a straight line and they followed her into the Great Hall. Addie thought Great was a massive understatement, but understood that Massively Gigantic Enormously Large Great Hall did not have quite the same ring. The hall was lit by what seemed to be millions of tapered candles floating above four long tables; the tables were decorated in what Addie assumed were house colors and heavily laden with gold serving platters and dinner wear. At the far end of the hall another long table housing the school staff ran perpendicular to the student tables. Addie saw Madam Pince sitting at the table next to a man with dark hair that hung to his shoulders and an unusually large nose. She waved enthusiastically at the hawkish librarian who nodded curtly at her.

Professor McGonagall set a four-legged stool in the center of the room nearish to the staff table and placed a large frayed and patched wizard's hat on top. The hat twitched slightly after a few minutes and a wide tear like a mouth opened near the brim. IT sang them a song, but Addie was so nervous she missed most of it. When the hat finished and the applause died down, Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a large roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will out on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she told them, "Abernathy, Lucinda!"

Lucy squeezed Addie's hand, "It's Lucy," she told Professor McGonagall as she sat on the stool. The professor just sighed heavily and placed the hat on Lucy's head. Addie watched her friend nervously until- "RAVENCLAW!" the hat finally shouted. Lucy looked a bit stunned but smiled and ran to join the cheering Ravenclaws.

"Carrow, Flora!"

A tall willowy girl with brown pigtails stepped out of line. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on the girl's head. There were barely ten seconds-

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted. The last table on the left explode and they cheered loudly again with, "Carrow, Hestia!" joined her twin.

"Caruso, Luca!"

"Hufflepuff!" The second table from the right cheered loudly as the dark haired boy scuttled over the them.

"Creevey, Colin!" a tiny boy, the shortest in their single file line, with strawberry-blonde hair became the first Gryffindor.

"Chambers, Brandon!" and "Duncan, Travis!" both joined the loudly cheering Ravenclaws. Addie shifted from foot to foot nervously as she watched the others in her line each get sort into one of the four houses.

"Frobisher, Victoria!"

"Gryffindor!"

Addie noticed quickly that sometimes, like with "Greengrass, Astoria!" The hat was silent for almost a minute before is shouted out a house –"Ravenclaw!"- and other times, like with "Harper, Cameron!", it erupted –"Slytherin!"- barely before it was placed on the student's head.

"Hooper, Geoffrey!" and "Kirke, Andrew!" both joined Gryffindor in rather short order.

"Lovegood, Luna!" A waif-like girl with very long curly very blonde hair glanced around dreamily before stepping forward before and perching on the edge of the stool. Professor McGonagall gingerly set with hat on the girl's head.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat erupted after a few moments of silence.

Addie watched Lucy laughing and chatting with an older Ravenclaw student. All of the already sorted first years were already being embraced by their new houses. Addie worried that the hat wouldn't know what to do with her or that she wouldn't get on well in her new house and several other worries. There weren't many people left now. "Midgen, Eloise!" went to Gryffindor and "Patel, Sachin!" went to Hufflepuff. And then finally…

"Sharp, Adalyn!" Addie took a deep breath and stepped forward. She smiled nervously at Professor McGonagall as she slipped up onto the tool. The last thing Addie noticed before the hat dropped down over her eyes was Lucy craning around too look at her. The inside of the hat was black and quiet. Addie waited.

"_Hmm_," a small crackly voice whispered in her ear. "_Strange…a quick mind, a fair amount of courage and loyalty…but it's tempered by a nice dose of reason._"

Addie dug her fingers into the edges of the stool, _Please just pick something_, she thought desperately.

"_Fine, fine…' _the hat chuckled, "RAVENCLAW!"

Addie heard the hat shout the last word to the whole Hall. She took the hat off and handed it back to McGonagall. She stumbled slightly to the Ravenclaw table, relieved to have been sort. She slipped into a seat next to Lucy and a pleasant looking girl with wheat colored hair leaned around Lucy to smile at Addie.

"Hello," she smiled sweetly, "I'm Penny Clearwater, one of the prefects, we're so glad to have you." Addie grinned at Penny and then looked at Lucy who smiled widely at her and threw an arm over her shoulders. They turned together to watch the end of the ceremony. "Sloper, Jack!" had been sorted into Gryffindor while she'd been meeting the students closer to her and only three students were left.

"Tolipan, Alice!" went to Hufflepuff and then

"Weasley, Ginevra!" A small very pale girl with hair that was a cross between an orange crayon and a fire engine stepped forward. "GRYFFINDOR!" The girl ran quickly over to the table and sat next to the tall skinny prefect from the train. And finally it was Bash's turn.

"Zambini, Sebastian!"

"Finally…" he jogged up to the stool and flashed a grin at professor McGonagall before collapsing exaggeratedly onto the stool with a sigh. And then silence. The hat was silent for far longer than it had been with anyone else. Addie heard the other students whispering to each other and she felt terrible for Bash.

"Why doesn't it just place him in Slytherin?" a sneaky-looking girl with curly reddish brown hair hissed to her friends at the other end of the table.

"Ravenclaw!" the hat finally erupted after what felt like eons. A handful of Ravenclaws students clapped enthusiastically and the Slytherins looked sullen. Bash stepped out from under the hat looking pale and flustered. He made his way to the Ravenclaw table and squeezed in between Addie and Travis Duncan. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the sorting hat away.

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was now standing in front of the students grinning broadly. He was an older man with a bright white beard that hung to the middle of his chest. He wore half-moon shaped spectacles and Addie was pretty sure his eyes were a clear twinkly blue. The Headmaster clapped once and opened his arms wide.

"Welcome!" he said, "Welcome to our newest students and welcome back to those of you who are old hats," the students chuckled, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to make a few announcements."

Before Dumbledore could begin his announcement a loud crashing sound, tearing metal hitting very solid wood, came from outside followed by several cacophonous thrashing sounds. The professors all jerked their heads towards the Entrance Hall, but only a professor with long dark hair and an abnormally large nose left the Hall to investigate. He reappeared a few moments later and Dumbledore smiled tensely.

"Tuck in," he clapped his hands again and the once empty platters were filled with every kind of food imaginable. Addie was reveling at the trays loaded with roast beef, roast chicken, sausages, bacon, pork chops and lamb chops, steak, boiled roasted and mashed potatoes, chips, peas and carrots, asparagus, giant boats of gravy and ketchup and oddly what appeared to be licorice whips until Lucy elbowed her sharply and pointed out that Professor McGonagall had also left the feast.

"Harry Potter…."

"Ron Weasley too…"

"Not on the train…"

Addie heard the other students whispering and looked at Lucy with a shrug. Lucy leaned around Addie and spoke to Bash, "Is there even another way to get to Hogwarts? Other than the train?"

Bash looked up from his pot roast, "I'm sure there is," he told her with a shrug, "It seems pretty illogical that there's a place this big and only one way here." Lucy nodded in agreement and they chattered about the sorting.

"It really isn't surprising," Addie overheard someone from the table behind them saying, "She's a Weasley after all… like she'd end up anywhere else." Addie turned to look at the speaker and saw a thin boy with white blonde hair, gray eyes, and a very pinched expression speaking to two hulking boys across the table from him.

"That's Draco Malfoy," Bash told her, "My brother," he indicated a tall boy that shared his toffee colored skin with had bluey-green eyes and an easy smile, "Blaise, says the girls in Slytherin are all mental for him."

Addie shrugged, "He looks sort of like a guinea pig my neighbor had one time," she replied causing Bash to roar with laughter. Addie tilted her head to the side and considered him thoughtfully. He was still laughing but stopped when he noticed her staring.

"What?"

"Nothing…you were just under the hat for the longest time of any of us and I wondered why?" she asked directly.

"I was arguing with the Hat," he answered nonchalantly. Addie gave him a look that she hoped said _Go on…I'm listening_**. **He did not continue but rather resumed eating.

"Probably begging to be in Slytherin," Lucy joked lightly. Addie noticed several other students turn towards them nodding. She was fairly certain that Lucy had been joking, they clearer were at least vaguely acquainted with each other, but the other students around them didn't seem to share Lucy's light-hearted nature.

Bash shot her a look and sighed dramatically, "Actually just the opposite," was all he said.

"Right," came a slightly snide voice a few people away drawled, "You're family's as bad a Malfoy…Slytherins for generations."

"Terry!" a dark haired boy cuffed the boy who had spoken on the back of the head.

"Actually," Penny spoke up from beside Lucy, "His mother's a Ravenclaw…She's best mates with mine from their days here."

"Look.." a pretty Asian girl pointed towards the head table indicating Dumbledore and the dark haired teacher had returned.

"Who is that with the headmaster?" Addie asked.

"Professor Snape," Penny answered, "He teaches Potions, but everyone really knows he wants the Defense Against the Dark Arts post." Addie just nodded as Dumbledore stood to address them again.

"Just a few brief announcements now that we've all been properly fed and watered; First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all students. A few of our returning students would do well to remember that as well," he looked pointedly towards the Gryffindor table, "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes.'

'Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Those interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.'

'And finally, our dear Whomping Willow has suffered quite a shock this evening. Please stay clear while it is being healed and repaired.'

'And now bedtime. Off you go." Dumbledore clapped and the remains of the feast disappeared and the golden plates and goblets sparkled.

The Ravenclaw first years followed Penny through the chattering crowd of students. She led them out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. Addie felt Lucy grip her hand and bounce excitedly on her toes; she smiled at her new friend and laughed with her. They leaned on each other as they trudged up the stairs. They wound through halls and up so many staircases Addie lost track of what floor they were on. Finally they reached a narrow marble staircase; Penny led them up the final staircase until they were all crowded on a small tiled landing in front of a door with no doorknob or keyhole. Addie tilted her head this way and that trying to figure out how they would open the door when the large eagle bronze eagle on the door knocker spoke.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" the eagle asked its voice low and metallic sounding.

"Because there is a B in both and an N in neither," Penny answered clearly.

"Well spoken," the eagle replied and the door swung open. Penny led them up another small flight of stairs to the common room; the common room was a wide, circular room with deep midnight blue carpet, arched windows hung with blue and bronze silks. The room was light and airy with a high domed ceiling that was painted with stars. The room had tables and great squashy chairs scattered around in pairs and clusters. The walls were lined with bookshelves.

"The riddle changes," she smiled at them, "sometimes twice a day…be careful with your answers or he'll lock you out." She directed the girls to their dormitory up the stairs on the right and the boys to theirs up the stairs to the left.

The circular dorm room was filled with four airy white canopy beds covered in soft looking cobalt comforters and fluffy bronze and white colored pillows. The beds were draped with heavy cobalt curtains and each of their trunks was positioned at the end of one of the beds. The four girls were too tired to speak and slipped into their pyjamas and fell into bed.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is super short. Some of the chapters will be longer, some will be more drabble-y. I'm hoping that now that stuff in my real life has calmed down a bit I'll have more regular updates.

Chapter 3

_September 12, 1992_

_Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere, Scotland_

Addie spent the first week at Hogwarts astonished; every time she entered a classroom or tried to hurry through the hallways some new strange sight grabbed her attention. First there was the fact that the pictures on the walls moved they often left their frames to visit one another and were usually eager to pass along bits of gossip and rumors. Then there was the fact that History of Magic was taught by an actually ghost and the moment in her first Transfiguration class when the cat perched primly on the edge of the professor's desk morphed into Professor McGonagall herself. And then there was the castle itself; there were a hundred and forty-two staircases: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Tuesday.

The Saturday after the first full week of classes dawned clear and crisp. Addie found herself, for the first time she could remember, struggling with classes. She was the only one in her year who still had yet to successfully levitate a feather in Charms and in Transfiguration her needle still looked decidedly needle-like and not at all like a match. Addie trudged glumly into The Great Hall and slumped down next to Bash. He was studying worn copy of _Quidditch Monthly_ intently. Lucy sat on his other side a copy of Professor Lockhart's book _Magical Me_ propped up against a jug of pumpkin juice. Lucy glanced up brushed her dark curls away out of her eyes and smiled at Addie before returning to her book. Addie sighed heavily and dropped her head on the table.

"What's wrong?" Bash asked looking up.

"I think I should go home," she answered glumly

"It's only been a week," Lucy inserted into the conversation, "And you've never done any magic before…well not intentionally."

"I know, but I can't even…"

"It's really not that bad, Ads" Bash gently knocked her shoulder with his.

"Not that bad," a voice from the next table over drawled. All three of them turned to see Draco Malfoy sitting with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. Bash's brother, Blaise, sat further down the table and was watching with interest. "She's worse than sodding Longbottom," Draco laughed.

"Sod off, Malfoy." Bash hissed. He grabbed the nearest thing in reach, the glass of pumpkin juice he'd been drinking and threw it in Malfoy's general direction and missing by a wide margin.

"Sebastian!" Addie grabbed his wrist and yanked his arm.

"You need to work on your aim," Draco taunted.

"I missed on purpose Malfoy," Bash seethed resting his arm away from Addie and reaching for a bowl of hard boiled eggs. He lobbed the first one at Malfoy and hit him squarely in the chest. Addie's eyes went wide and she looked at Lucy desperately who just shrugged. Draco's face was pink with anger and Addie though he looked like smoke was about to pour from his ears. Crabbe and Goyle both moved towards them as Malfoy launched himself across the table.

"That. Is. Enough." A cool voice drawled stopping all of them in their tracks.

"Professor Snape!" Lucy chirped.

"20 points from Ravenclaw," Snape drawled. Malfoy smirked from behind Snape. "Move along," he told them. Addie, Lucy, and Bash gathered their things and scampered out of The Great Hall; Addie looked back as they left the hall and noticed Blaise had approached Draco and neither of them looked pleased. They ran practically the entire way to Ravenclaw Tower and it took them each a try before they could successfully answer the riddle. Addie and Lucy collapsed onto one of the wide window seats. Bash threw himself on the floor beneath them.

"Thanks," Addie smiled as she peered down at Bash, "For sticking up for me."

"Malfoy's an arse," Bash rolled he eyes.

Addie leaned back against the edge of the window seat. It was wide enough that she and Lucy could both sit legs extended and still have room for a large stack of books between them. The first time they'd sat together that way, Bash tried to weasel himself in the middle, but quickly decided the floor was more comfortable. Lucy already had her nose buried in Lockhart's book again.

"Isn't that like the third time you've read that?" Addie asked.

"Yeah, this week," Bash muttered under his breath.

"It's a good book," Lucy defended, "And Professor Lockhart is so handsome. He won _Witch Weekly's_ Most Charming Smile award like six times straight," she practically gushed.

"The guy's a nutter, Luce" Bash told her, "Half the stuff in there can't possibly be true."

"I don't think he's a particularly exceptional teacher, but I doubt he made his books up," Addie offered.

Bash rolled his eyes and stood, "I'm going down to watch Quidditch tryouts," he said. She knew Ravenclaw was having their house team tryouts today; Bash hadn't talked about anything else all week. He'd explained the positions, the balls, the rings, the pitch, she was fairly certain there wasn't a single aspect of the game he hadn't explained to her in minute detail during their first few days at Hogwarts. This week had been dedicated solely to the upcoming tryouts and who he thought would make the team. She was quite looking forward to seeing how the game was played. Unfortunately she had too much school work.

"I can't," Addie shrugged, "homework," she stated.

"Ads," Bash exclaimed, "This is your first chance to see quidditch! Your homework will be there tomorrow."

"How did you get into Ravenclaw again?" Lucy cracked looking up from her book.

"Oh stuff it, Luce!"

Addie just rolled her eyes as they continued to bicker; she'd decided during their first week of classes that they'd been sniping at each other for years and her interference wasn't going to change anything. She pulled her knees to her chest and looked out the window; part of the reason they'd manage to get a window seat to themselves was that it was on the "bad" side of the tower. The other windows in the large circular room all looked out over Black Lake or the Forbidden Forest. Addie and Lucy's window looked over the Herbology greenhouses, but Addie found it fascinating to look at the greenhouses and try to figure out what was growing inside.

"Ads!" Bash practically shouted.

"What?!" she jumped.

"We've been trying to get your attention for like five minutes," Lucy laughed.

"Why…what?" Addie blinked at them.

"Quidditch tryouts start in like five minutes," Bash stated. Addie stared at him blankly.

"Five minutes," he said more slowly, "on the quidditch pitch…"

"Oh," she shook her head slightly as if to shake a cobweb from her brain. "I can't," she told him again with a shrugged, "I have to finish all this homework and I want to read ahead for Potions."

"Uh," Bash grunted and clasped his hands over his heart dramatically before dropping to the floor, "You wound me," he croaked from the floor.

"You're such a drama queen." Lucy laughed.

"Come watch tryouts," he said still lying on the floor. "I'll spend all afternoon in the library with you tomorrow." Lucy raised an eyebrow in disbelief and Addie giggled. "I will…"

"I don't know…" Addie trailed off, "I really need to work on this Levitation Charm."

"You're probably saying it wrong," Lucy shrugged nonchalantly. She dug a quill out of her bag and set it on top of the large stack of books. "Try it again."

Addie looked apprehensively at the feather. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and pointed her wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!" she said forcefully with a swish and flick of her wand. There was a loud bang and Addie's eyes flew open. She saw the feather floating gracefully down from the ceiling and the stack of books lay scattered on the floor. "What happened?" she asked frantically.

"Uh…you levitated the whole stack of books for about 3 seconds," Bash told her eyes wide, "I'd say that's an improvement."

"Try the needles," Lucy suggested pulling out a small sewing kit. Addie nodded and took a deep breath. Concentrating on the idea of a match she said the incantation to turn the needle into a matchstick. For the first few moments nothing happened. Then the needle slowly morphed into a matchstick; Addie breathed a sigh of relief and smile over at Lucy.

"See you just need to practice," Lucy said.

"Uh..." Bash said from the floor.

"Thanks, Luce."

"GUYS!" Bash shouted. Lucy and Addie both looked at him. He was pointing towards the stack of books between them. The one perfectly formed matchstick had multiplies and a hundred were now piled between them and falling onto the floor.

"This is normal right?" she looked between Lucy and Bash.


End file.
